Not long back, people wanting to savor the best craft cocktails would have to visit premium bars and pray for a real face time with cocktails gurus of the likes of Derek Brown or Todd Thrasher. Over the years, things have undergone a sea change, with hotels adopting inventing menus, customized drinks and on-demand services, encouraging cocktail enthusiasts to visit them.
Earlier, being a bartender meant nothing more than just tending the bar. There were bartenders who simply whipped up frozen piña coladas for the tourists, pouring a fine wine, offering rum and Coke for the regulars, or simply pouring a cheap beer. However, these days most bartenders prefer to call themselves "mixologists."
For instance, Eddie Fuentes at Rhythm & Vine Biergarten in Fort Lauderdale says that though they don't have a specific name for their job, they would make a hell of a drink ensuring that the customer will soon be back for many more, Broward Palm Beach said. Bartenders like Fuentes may not be very proficient in mixing and serving drinks, but they are some of the greatest cocktail crafters in South Florida.
In fact, intricate craft cocktails are the latest trend at restaurants as well as bars worldwide these days, especially in hotels that are targeting the Gen Y. Describing a craft cocktail, the founder-owner of Brenne French Single Malt Whisky, Allison Patel said it is actually a cocktail created using finer ingredients, usually sourced locally or obtained seasonally. It needs to be properly balanced as well as be visually appealing. According to her, it is similar to the difference between fast food and a gourmet meal. Crafting generally entails creative means, specific ice and the perfect glassware for every drink, US News quoted Patel as saying.
Private and on-demand mixology service is becoming increasingly popular these days. Some hotels like The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Chicago's River North area allows guests to request its Prohibition Porter to blend handcrafted cocktails in their room or anywhere within the property. Guests are allowed to pick a maximum of four drinks from a 1930s specialty cocktail menu, comprising classics like a French 75, Gin Rickey, Tom Collins and Mary Pickford, and a mixologist will create the cocktail in just 30 minutes.
Venturing a step ahead, many hotels are also offering their guests and opportunity to learn the art of mixology.For instance, Ocean Key Resort & Spa in Key West, Florida, offers its guests Craft Cocktail Experiences program in their rooms. In addition, guests are also allowed to attend a two-hour mixology class offered by the resort Monday through Friday.
The resident mixologist coaches at Playa del Carmen, in the Viceroy Riviera Maya's Coral Grill & Bar, also train guests in the art of mixing sophisticated cocktails. The guests are also given a diploma certificate, "Artisan Cocktailer," on successful completion of the 1.5-hour course.
In addition, many hotels offer custom concoctions, creative programming, brand-backed initiatives and much more to their patrons. Clearly, the craft cocktail scene is transforming, thanks to the Gen Y.
